Whose Son Is Desmond Hart? Why DUNE: PROPHECY’s Revelations About His Origins Are So Important

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As a seasoned gamer and ardent fan of the Dune universe, I can’t help but feel a profound sense of intrigue and anticipation after witnessing the latest twist in Dune: Prophecy. The revelation that Desmond Hart is none other than Tula Harkonnen’s long-lost son has sent shockwaves through the Imperium, and I find myself utterly captivated by this turn of events.

In the fourth episode of “Dune: Prophecy,” Desmond Hart demonstrated his immense power, but this demonstration came with a heavy price. It wasn’t just a matter of physical pain; it also cost him his anonymity. The gruesome wounds that appeared on his back when he used his mind to incinerate those men revealed his genetic code to Valya Harkonnen. In the subsequent episode, “In Blood, Truth,” Tula Harkonnen utilized the Sisterhood’s forbidden thinking machine and genetic database to uncover the soldier’s hidden lineage. What she found left her reeling because Desmond Hart is the son that we didn’t know Tula had in “Dune: Prophecy,” a son she abandoned years ago.

The reason for Desmond Hart’s hostility towards the “witches” in the Dune series stems from a personal bias. However, it becomes significant not just for his individual narrative but also for the broader storyline and even Dune: Prophecy itself. This revelation seems to solve an age-old mystery from the books. Moreover, Desmond’s birth and extraordinary talents could potentially trigger the Bene Gesserit to initiate their Kwisatz Haderach program.

In the context of Dune: Prophecy, “Bloodline: Atreides” and “Bloodline: Harkonnen” were revealed to be the lineages of the two newborn babies. When baby Desmond was identified, Tula Harkonnen discovered the fate of her long-lost son. It turns out that the individual who poses a threat to everything Tula and her sister Valya have established is none other than the child Tula gave birth to after she killed Desmond’s father, Orry Atreides.

As Empress Natalya inquired about the mysterious ordeal I’d been through, I explained it all. “My own mother abandoned me amongst ruffians, forcing me to battle for every morsel to stay alive,” I shared. “She was one of those sisters, cloaked in secrecy.

In the series “Dune: Prophecy,” Desmond Hart stated he’s originally from a world called Balut. Before his birth, humanity waged war with intelligent machines, leaving the planet devastated. Exploiting this destruction were organ farmers who turned Theo into a chameleon-like Face Dancer. Regrettably, Balut was also struck by the same lethal disease that Raquella (via Lila) discovered in episode five. As a result, it was an even more challenging environment for Desmond Hart to grow up in than he suggested. Even if Tula had found him a better home, no one could blame him for feeling resentment towards his mother, who abandoned him. Similarly, it would be understandable for him to harbor hatred towards the Sisterhood that Tula chose over her own son in “Dune: Prophecy“.

The truth about Desmond Hart’s birth answers a question from Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson’s book Navigators of Dune. Navigators of Dune never revealed what happened to Tula’s child. (In the Dune book, we knew she was pregnant with Orry’s child, the first known Atreides and Harkonnen offspring.) The HBO series is the first Dune project of any kind to address the fate of that baby. Some book readers will be happy to have a resolution to this Dune mystery, but since Desmond Hart is an entirely original character created for the show, others might not consider this to be a definitive answer to what happened to book Tula’s baby.

There’s no debate over what Desmond wants for his mother and all her Sisters, though. He wants the same thing Empress Natalya wants, to “rid the Imperium of these witches forever.” Only we also know they will fail. The Sisterhood will become the even more powerful and influential Bene Gesserit. The group that will covertly shape and guide the Known Universe for the next 10,000 years. It will also implement its Kwisatz Haderach program that will end with Paul Atreides, another child of both House Atreides and House Harkonnen, a mirror of Dune: Prophecy‘s Desmond Hart.

In the time of “Dune: Prophecy”, the Sisterhood covertly operates a large-scale breeding scheme aimed at creating superior leaders. Over time, their ambition morphs into producing an extraordinary being. The character Desmond Hart, a man with origins in both Atreides and Harkonnen lineages, who miraculously survived Shai-Hulud and was endowed with powers far surpassing human capabilities, could serve as the prototype for the Bene Gesserit’s sought-after figure, the Kwisatz Haderach. Unlike Desmond, who they cannot manipulate, the Sisterhood envisions the Kwisatz Haderach as a tool to be utilized by them. It is this belief that may ensure Desmond Hart’s success in his grand endeavor.

The Bene Gesserit won’t be able to manipulate Paul Atreides any more than they could Desmond Hart in “Dune: Prophecy”. Instead, their attempt at crafting a puppet from Tula’s lineage who obeys them will result in the birth of an even stronger child, a fusion of Atreides and Harkonnen lineages, after countless millennia.

Note from the Editor: The movie “Dune: Prophecy” is produced by Legendary Entertainment. This production falls under the umbrella of Legendary Digital Networks’ subsidiary, TopMob.

Mikey Walsh serves as a staff writer for TopMob, within the team known as #TeamDesmond. To keep up with his updates, you can find him on Bluesky under the handle @burgermike. Additionally, if anyone is making lists to rank the Targaryen kings, they might come across Mikey’s work.

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2024-12-16 18:03